Releasing pump plunger



Jan. 21, 1941. J. A. PATE ETAL RELEASING PUMP VPLUNGER Filed Aug. 2, 1937 dm/55 4 0,472: CLVOE L 775 INVENTOR Y E N R O T T A Patented Jan. 21, 1941 UNITE STATES PATENT OFFICE &229519 RELEASING PUMP PLUNGER Application August 2, 1937, Serial No. 156,976

7 Claims.

The invention relates to a plunger assembly for use in oil, water, or sand pumps, and also for use as a swab.

The greatest difficulties with pumps using the usual type plunger assembly are the sticking of the plunger and the sticking of the traveling Valves due to sand and other foreign matter settling on top and around the plunger and the i valves.

1 The chief object of this invention is to eliminate the use of traveling Valves .on the plunger assembly and yet to aord a sufiicient fluid flow area past the plunger to prevent the lodging of sand or foreign matter on the` plunger.

Other objects of the invention are: to provide a plunger which will create better suction than plungers of present design; and which has fewer working parte than plunger assemblies of present design.

Other objects of the invention will be fully apparent from a consideration of the following detailed description of the` invention when read in connection with the accompanying drawing, which forms a part of this application. The

drawing is to be considered illustrative only.

Referring to the drawing:

Figure 1 is a side sectional View of the plunger assembly within a working barrel, showing the plunger passing downward in the barrel;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary section of the plunger within a barrel and shows the plunger traveling upward in the barrel;

Figure 3 is a sectional View taken\ along the line 3--3 of Figure 1; and

Figure 4 is a sectional View taken along the line 4-4 of Figura 1.

Like characters of reference designate like parts in all the figures.

The invention includes a lower plunger carrying guide member 5, the lower end 6 of which is substantially cylindrical, and. is provided with a plurality of longitudinal slots 1, which extend throughout its length. The upper portion 8 of this member 5 is tapered from the shoulder 9 to its opposite end lil which is threaded to receive the lower end of a second guide member l I. The member H is also suitably threaded at its upper end to receive the lower end of a 50 sucker rod [2. The lower end of the member I! is of larger diameter than its upper end and is longitudinally slotted as at |3 to provide additional fluid passage between the member and the barrel. At its extreme lower end the mem- 55 ber `ll convergingly tapers to a diameter substantially the same as the diameter of the upper end of the member 5.

The plunger pro-per, which will be designated as a whole by the numeral I4, comprises a thin walled, tapered, inner sleeve 15, the inner taper of which conforms identically in size and shape to the taper of the lower end of the member 8 from the shoulder'9 upward. This sleeve 15 has its uppermost' end internally beveled to form a seat for the lower end of the guide l l, the lower 10 end of which serves to limit the upward movement of the plunger |4 on theguide 5. When the plunger is at the upward end of its limited movement on the guide 5, as shown in Figure l, the slots !3 afiord communication between the 15 space above the plunger, through the space between the sleeve and the member 8, and the space below the plunger. The sleeve |5 is provided with -an annular shoulder !6 at its lower end. The outer surface of the sleeve !5 is highly polished between the shoulder IE and its upper end. At its extreme upper end the sleeve !5 is threaded to` receive a nut ll.

Intermediate the nut ll and the shoulder !3, the sleeve !5 carries a scaling member !8 which 2 is formed of a resilient material. Internally the sealing member |8 is tapered to conform to the exterior taper of the sleeve |5 from the up-per end downward. Externally the scaling member !8 is cylindrical and is normally of slightly less 30 diameter than the interior of the working barrel of the pump. An annular spacer IQ is provided to fit tightly the external surface of the sleeve [5 immediately adjacent the nut l'l, and if deemed desirable an additional spacer, not 35 shown, may be provided to fit the external surface of the sleeve !5 immediately below the spacer !9. A similar spacer 20 is provided for the lower end of the sleeve !5, and. fits the eX- ternal surface of the sleeve immediately above the shoulder IG, and likewse, an additional spacer, not shown, may be provided for this end of the sleeve. The purpose of these spacers is to determine the portion of the sleeve !5 over which the sealing member [8 must operate. 45 When the plunger is first assembled two spacers 23 may be used on the lower end of the sleeve !5 and none on the upper end. This Would limit the movement of the sealing member !8 on the sleeve 1.5 to the space between the uppermost surface of the uppermost spacer 20 and the lo-wermost surface of the nut ll. As the exterior surface of the sealing member s became worn one of the spacers 20 would be removed and a spacer |9 would be placed on the upper end of the sleeve !5. Due to the taper of the sleeve !5 this would force the sealing member !8 to move over a surface slightly larger in diameter than that surface over which it moved when it was first placed on the sleeve !5. Likewise, as further wear took place the remaining spacer might be removed, and an additional spacer !9 be placed on the upper end of the sleeve, forcing the sealing element [8 farther downward on the sleeve. The spacers e and 20 are of the same thickness, and are also of the same width. The exterior diameters are substantially the same while their interier diameters conform in size to that portion of the sleeve on which they are intended to fit. The length of the scaling element !8, is, of course, always slightly less than the distance between the adjacent spacers !9 and which permits a longitudinal movement of the scaling element on the sleeve, which movement in a downward direction expands the resilient scaling member, and in an upward movement permits the sealing member to contract.

operation In Figures 1 and 2 are shown the plunger assembly in the working barrel of a pump. The working barrel is, o f course, provided with any suitable type check valve 21 at its lower end, which is adapted to open permitting the inflow of fluid during the upward stro ke of the plunger, and which immediately closes as soon as the upward 'travel of the plunger s tops. During the upwar d travel of the plunger the seaiing member |8 is forced downward onthe sleeve |5, as shown in Figure 2, which movement expands the sealing member into perfect contact with the inner surface of the pump barrel, creating a Vacuum within the barrel below the plunger and drawing the fluid into the lower end of the barrel through the valve 2l. When the upward travel of the plunger ceases and the downward travel begins the contact of the sealing element !8 with the pump barrel causes the sealing element to be forced upwar-d on the :sleeve 15, permit ting it to contract and assume a size slightly smaller than the interior of the working barrel. During the downward travel of the plunger, then, t'he scaling element |8 is in the position shown in Fgure 1, and fluid is free to pass up'ward around the plunger between the outer surface .of the element !8 and inn'er walls of 'the barrel. Fluid is also permitted to pass free-ly through the space between the inner surface of the sleeve |5 and the outer surface of the guide member 8, and into the grooves !3, into the space above the plunger. Thus, as the plunger pa-sses do wnward in the barrel the fluid passing upward through the spaces just mentioned serves to thoroughly remove any sand, sediment, or other foreign matter whi-ch might possibly have settled on the upper end of the plunger or on the nut l'l. As the plunger reaches the lower end of i ts stroke and begins its uplward travel the resis tance of the fluid above i-t again forces the sealing member l8 to assume the position shown in Figure 2, and the operation is repeated.

While we have described and illustrated a specific embodiment of our invention, we are aware that numerous alterations and changes may be made thencin and we do not wish to be limited except by the prior art an-d by the scope of the appended claims.

We particularly Wish to call attention to the fact that a change in the shape of the lower end of the member l l could easily be made without changing 'the principle of the invention. This applies equal ly well to the shape of the lower end o-f the mem-ber 5.

We claim:

1. A pump comprising: a barrel; a .valvedbo ttom for the barrel; a reciprocable solid plunger nod having an upwarzdly and inwardly tapered portion intermediate its ends, and a shoulder at each end of said tapered portion; a tapered sleeve having an internal bore to fit closely the lower end o-f the tapered portion of said plunger rod and slidalbly mounted thereon, and having a shoulder surrounding each of its en-ds; and a reslient expansible scaling member mounted intermediazte the shoulders of said sleeve and a-d apted for limited axial movement thereon; whereby as the rod is moved in one direction the scaling element moves to the small end of the sleeve and contracts, and the sleeve moves to the small end of 'the tapered portion of the rod affording a by-pass for fluid between the rod and sleeve and between 'the scaling element and the pump barrel; and as the rod moves in the opposite direction the sleeve is forced to the large end of the tapered portion of the rod closing the space between rod and sleeve, and the scaling element is forced to the large end o f the sleeve and is thereby eXp-anded *to seal against the w alls of the barrel.

2. A 'pum p comprising: a barrel; a valved bottom for the barrel; an expansible sealing element within the barrel; a tapered sleeve on which said scaling element is axially slidable, said sleeve adapted to expand said scaling element as the scaling element slides in one direction with relation thereto, and to permi't its Construction as said element slides in the oppo-site direction with rela-ti on thereto; an intermediately tapered solid plunger rod on .which said tapered sleeve is axially slidable; and shoulders oarried by `said rod and said sleeve for li-miting the axial movement of the sleeve and sealing element thereon, respectively.

3. A punp comprising: a barrel; a one-way valv-e in the lower end of the barrel; and a plunger in the barrel including an intermediately tapered solid 'plunger rod,' a similar-'ly tapered sleeve mounted for limited axial movement on the tapered portion o f said plunger rod, and an expansible sealing element mounted for limited axial movement :on said sleeve and adapted tobe expanded to seal against the barrel wall when positioned a t the l ar ge end of said sleeve, and to contrac-t to a smaller size than -the interier of said barrel when posi-tioned at the small end of said sleeve. I

4. A plunger .assembly for a pump comprising: a solid plunger rod having an intermediate tapered portion; a similarly tapered sleeve mounted for limited axial movement on the tapered portion of said plunger rod; and an expansible sealing element mounted for limited axial movement on said tapered sleeve; the forced movement of said scaling element to one end of said sleeve forcing its exterior expansion, and forced movement to the opposite end of said sleeve permitting its contraction; the forced movement of said sleeve to the large end of the tapered portion of said rod adapted to close the space between the two, and the forced movement of the sleeve to the small end .adapted to open a by-pass between rod and sleeve afording passage for fluid from one end of the barrel past the plunger to the other end of the barrel.

5. A plunger assembly for a pump comprising: 76-

a solid plunger rod having a tapered portion intermediate its ends and a shoulder at each end of said tapered portion; a similarly tapered sleeve mounted for axial movement on the tapered portion of said rod, and adapted when positioned at the small end of said tapered portion to afiord fluid passage through its bore, and when positioned at the large end of said tapered portion to seal against the tapered portion and the adjaoent shoulder thus preventing the passage of fluid through its central bore; and an expansible sealing element surrounding said sleeve and mounted thereon for limited axial movement, said sealing element being normally of a size r less than the interier of said barrel .and adapted to be expanded to seal against the interior wall of said barrel when moved to the large end of said tapered sleeve.

6. A plunger for a barrel pump comprising: a sleeve tapered inside andoutside; .a solid operating rod having a portion of its outer surface tapered at the same angle as the inside surface of said sleeve, and on which said sleeve is adapted to slide; .and a. resilient annular expansible sealing element mounted on said sleeve, said sealing element adapted to be expanded by the tapered outer surface of said sleeve as the element moves toward the larger end thereof, and to contract as it moves toward the smaller end thereof, and .also adapted to move said sleeve axially on said rod in the same direction in which the -paoking moves on its sleeve.

7. A plunger for a barrel pump comprising: a solid tapered Operating rod; an externally and intemally tapered sleeve mounted for limited axial movement on said rod; and an' internaly tapered annular expansible packing element mounted for limited axial movement on said sleeve, whereby as the plunger moves downward the packing element moves upward to the small end of said sleeve and contracts, and at the' same time serves to move said sleeve upward to the small end of said rod, thus opening .an an- 20 nular passage between the sleeve and the rod.

JAMES A. PATE. CLYDE L. PATE. 

